Superpowers 1

A superpower

a nation which is able to project its influence and be dominant on a global scale

Uni polar world

world means there is only one superpower

bipolar

world exists when there are two superpowers

multipolar

world means there are multiple superpowers

historical superpowers

• The USA and USSR became superpowers after World War II.

• Before this, the superpowers were the British Empire and the USA

USA - uni polar

• Currently the USA is the only superpower therefore the world is uni-polar

• The USA is also referred to as a hyperpower or hegemon meaning that it is dominant in all aspects of power

Emerging super powers

• The EU is a group of nations which qualifies as an emerging superpower

• Brazil

• Russia

• India

• China

Factors affecting super power status

• Physical size and geographical position

• Economic power

• Demographics

• Military strength

• Physical resouces

Resources

• Access to resources such as minerals and metals 

• Control of resources

• These can be sold and exported which supports economic growth

  • Discovery of oil and gas in the Middle East has given OPEC countries economic power

size and geographical position

• This links to resources, the larger a country the more resources it may have

  • Russia has significant reserves of coal, oil and gas

• The geographical position of a country impacts its links and influence over other countries

Economic factors

• Influence on global economics through membership of International Governmental Organisations (IGOs) and trading blocs such as European Union (EU)

• High levels of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

• The USA has the highest global inflow of FDI at US$86 billion

  • it influences areas such as 

    • Military strength

    • Ability to exploit resources

    • Cultural influence

    • Political strength

demographic factors

• Populations with a large working age population supports economic growth

• A large dependent population (e.g. ageing population of Japan) may have a negative impact on economic growth

• Population size also impacts on the military strength of a country

Hard powers

Use economic and military power to try and force countries to behave in a certain way

• Economic - trade deals, sanctions 

• Military - use of force, threats of force or military action, the forming of military alliances

soft power

Joseph Nye- to demonstrate effective foreign policy and maintance of power needs the use of both hard and soft powers

Mackinders heartland theory

• In 1904 Halford Mackinder proposed the 'Heartland theory'

• Based on the premise that most of the world's natural resources are to be found in Asia and Europe 

• The 'heartland' is an area bordered by mountains on three sides and the Arctic to the north 

  • This makes it difficult to invade

Maintenance of power in the imperial era

In the early 20th century the world was multi polar

• European powers dominated invading and taking power in many countries in Africa, Asia and America

• This was an imperialist system which involved political, economic and/or cultural control

  • The UK exploited the population as a workforce and the resources of the countries

  • The system was maintained mainly through the use of hard power - military 

indirect control post ww2

• The role of the UK in WWI and WWII, together with the Great Depression led to the collapse of the UK as a superpower

• The period after WWII saw the rise of the USA and USSR to form a bi-polar world

• The result of this was the 'cold war'

Neo colonialism

• An indirect mechanism of control

• Used by Western nations to exert influence and control over ex-colonies

  • Tied aid which means that developing countries have to spend money on goods or services with the donor country

  • Uneven trade where countries are paid little for their resources 

Rise of China

Political	Tends to stay out of global issues Not a democracy  Relationships with many other nations are not always positive
Economic	Second largest GDP in the world Large scale investment in African countries Investment in infrastructure
Military	Increasing military force but not always well equipped Only one overseas military base Nuclear power
Demographic	2nd largest population in the world Ageing population
Cultural	Chinese foods are increasingly popular around the world There is little global influence on art, music, and literature on a global scale

facts about India

POLITICAL

• Poor relations with some neighbours including China and Pakistan

• Member of the G20 and UN

ECONOMIC

• Attracts many TNCs and FDI- young growing population

• Many people remain in poverty

MILITARY

• Second largest armed force

• A nuclear power

DEMOGRAPHIC

• Largest population in the world

• Large English speaking population

Russia key facts

POLITICAL

• Reduced global influence 

• Invasion of Ukraine in 2022 

ECONOMIC

• 9th largest GDP in the world

• Decreasing influence over global financial decision making

• Lack of investment by TNCs and FDIs

MILITARY

• Fifth largest military force  in the world

• Wide scale corruption 

• Ageing weapons and vehicles

• A nuclear power

DEMOGRAPHIC

• Population is experiencing slow decline

development theory

• Core- high income nations, skilled labour

• Periphery- Middle income, industrialising

• Semi- peripheries- low income, export labour and natural resources

Critism of worlds system theory

• Too focussed on the economy

• Insufficient focus on culture

modernised theory- Rostow 1960

• Stage 1: Traditional society: economy based on bartering, subsidence farming and little investment

• Stage 2: Pre-conditions for take off (transitional stage): surpluses are traded through improved infrastructure and shift to manufacturing

• Stage 3: Take off: industrial and regional growth, investment and political change

• Stage 4: Drive to maturity: growth is supported through technological innovation, diversification and investment

• Stage 5 - High mass consumption: consumer orientated society, durable goods production, dominant service sector, higher disposable incomes

critismof rostows theory

• The model is outdated and too simple

• The model assumes all countries start at the same point (same resources, population, climate etc.)

• Capital is needed to advance from Stage 1

Dependency theory- Frank 1960

• Persistent poverty in developing countries is the result of their dependency on developed countries

• There is an unequal relationship between the developed and developing countries

criticism of the dependency theory

• Developed countries have lost their power to control developing countries

• Countries are emerging and becoming more developed semi-peripheral countries, such as Mexico and India

• The global system is now controlled by TNCs and the World Trade Organisation

• Underdevelopment may be due to internal, not external, factors